The present invention relates to nursery digging machines and in particular to a machine for conveniently digging and forming a root ball beneath a plant or tree for removal of the same from the ground.
In the removal of a plant or tree from a nursery for shipping and replanting at a remote location, a ball of earth and plant roots are excavated and wrapped so that the plant may withstand removal and transplanting. In most cases the formation of the root ball has been manually accomplished in order to obtain the optimum shaping of the root ball and care of the plant, especially in cases where the plant must be removed in rather close quarters from a row of plants.
Various apparatus has alternatively been employed for digging up plants and trees, but has generally included diagonally driven blades which form a V-shaped wedge of earth for removal rather than a more or less spherical root ball. The operation of machinery of this type frequently requires an angular disposition of the digging mechanism such that an inordinate amount of space is required and sometimes the apparatus cannot be employed in removing plants or trees disposed close to one another in a row. Other apparatus has been proposed for forming a semi-spherical root ball underneath the surface of the ground, i.e. commencing with a flat surface area with a hemisphere of earth being removed below the plant. This arrangement does not optimize the desired shaping of the root ball relative to the least amount of weight to be transported, and may also require a relatively large cut.